Attendance Matters
We believe that one of the most important factors in promoting good attendance is the development of positive attitudes towards school and a sense of belonging. To this end, we strive to make our school a happy and rewarding experience for all children, and to foster positive and mutually respectful relationships with parents.
By promoting good attendance and punctuality we aim to:
- Make good attendance and punctuality a priority for all those involved in the school community.
- Raise our pupils’ awareness of the importance of good attendance and punctuality.
- Provide support, advice and guidelines to parents, pupils and staff.
- Work in partnership with parents, including regularly informing them about their child’s absence and attendance levels.
- Support pupils back into school following a lengthy or unavoidable period of absence and provide support to build confidence and bridge gaps.
- Celebrate and reward good attendance and punctuality.
What time does my child need to be in school?
Students are expected to be in school at 8.35am for registration at 8.40am in their tutor group. Students need to be in class on time to benefit fully from the school day.
Effects of non-attendance
The table below indicates how what might seem like just a few days' absence, can result in children missing a significant number of lessons.
|
Attendance during school year |
Days lost in a year |
Which is approximately |
Approximate number of lessons missed |
|
95% |
9.5 Days |
2 Weeks |
50 Lessons |
|
90% |
19 Days |
4 Weeks |
100 Lessons |
Children who attend school regularly are more likely to maintain positive friendships, feel happy and settled in school. It also helps them keep up with the curriculum and their learning, which will maximise their success in education. Supporting regular attendance and punctuality will also help your child develop positive routines that will equip them well as they transition through school and into the workplace.
The Department for Education produce ‘statutory policy’ which schools must follow to support pupils’ attendance. This is called ‘Working together to improve school attendance’. There were several changes to the policy that came into effect August 2024.
The changes are a mixture of clarification on existing guidance and updates to reflect changes in the law, including the School attendance (pupil registration) (England) Regulations 2024.
Two of the key changes can be seen below. Schools will now only be able grant leaves of absence for specific circumstances set out in regulation 11 of the 2024 attendance regulations. A penalty notice will now be issued for poor attendance and unexplained absences.
- There is a national framework for issuing penalty notices for poor attendance and unexplained absences, to ensure consistency across the country. Penalty notices are £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid after 21 days but before 28 days.
- Penalty notices will be issued for 10 sessions of absence in a 10-week period, and this does not re-set at holidays i.e if you have 4 missed sessions before a holiday and 6 missed sessions after a holiday this would constitute a fine.
Penalty notices will now be issued by a Headteacher, local authority office or the police. The decision on whether or not a penalty notice may take into account:
- The number of unauthorised absences occurring within a rolling academic year.
- One-off instances of irregular attendance, such as holidays taken in term time without permission.
- Where an excluded pupil if found in a public place during school hours without a justifiable reason.
As a school, we want to work with parents and children to provide any support that is needed to help children establish and maintain excellent attendance.
Reporting Absence
Lateness
Students are expected to be in school at 8.35am for registration at 8.40am in their tutor group. If you know your child is going to be late, please contact the school on 0117 3535017 or email attendance@bristolcathedral.org.uk.
If a student arrives after 8.40am (and during tutor time), they will be asked to sign in at the Cresswell Cafe and confirm their reason for lateness.
If a student arrives after 9.10am, they are required to sign in at reception.
If there is no acceptable reason for a pupil being late, a detention may be issued.
Illness
In the case of illness please contact the school on 0117 3535017 or e-mail on attendance@bristolcathedral.org.uk by 8.00am on the morning of each and every day of absence where possible. If you are leaving a message please provide the child’s names, tutor group and reason for absence.
In cases where there are prolonged instances of illness or repeated periods of illness we will require a medical note. We will not be able to authorise more than 7 days illness over the year except in extreme circumstances. This means that following the 7th day of absence all subsequent absences related to illness will be unauthorised.
Medical
Try to make medical appointments outside of school hours. If this is not possible, only remove the child from school for the minimum amount of time necessary for the appointment. If your child has a pre-planned medical appointment. Please provide details to our attendance officer 24 hours before the appointment at the latest. We understand there are some last minute GP appointments obtained. Accordingly, please let us know of these as soon as these have been arranged. We may require sight of appointment cards in some cases to authorise absence.
If the above is not followed, the absence may be classed as unauthorised.
Religious Observance
We will authorise absence for legitimate religious observance for the maximum of two days. They will be authorised on dates exclusively set apart for this purpose by the religious body to which the parents/carers belong. Any additional days taken will be classed as unauthorised and may incur a penalty notice.
Holiday Absence Request
Regular attendance is vital for your child's education progress. The school expects all parents/carers to ensure that their children attend school whenever possible. Absences due to holidays taken during the term time can hinder academic progress.
If you wish to apply for your child to be absent form school for any reason please complete this form at least 4 weeks before the intended absence.
Completion of this form does not constitute that the school will authorise the absence.